Pharma defection to ocean is ‘wake-up call’ to airfreight

Airlines are targeting premium products to claw back lost revenue from the recession. Foremost of those is the cool chain for fresh produce and pharmaceuticals.
But, according to Steef Van Amersfoort, chairman of the air transport at the Dutch Shippers Council and veteran pharmaceutical-logistics executive, there is a massive difference between what pharma shippers need and expect, and what the airlines actually deliver.
“To be honest, there aren’t a lot of airlines offering time and temperature sensitive (T&TS) shipping services that I am confident of,” he says.
“I don’t want to be told ‘don’t worry’ about my shipment. I need to know everything about the service. I need to know about the hardware, but also about its organisational processes, so I can see it is properly a part of the company.
“I often see that the airlines control the service themselves at the origin and during transit,” he adds, “but at the destination they rely on handling companies that either do not offer the same service or offer one that the airline is not willing to pay a premium for.
“Even within the airline, not everyone always knows about the specifications of the service. If you offer a service you have to ensure it can be delivered to every part of your network at the same level of quality and reliability.”
Van Amersfoort says that there have been encouraging developments lately, but that there is still far to go.
“With so much pharma now being sent by ship, that should be a wake-up call for airlines to start investing into a reliable air cargo supply chain for pharma,” he warns.
“IATA implementing a T&TS label was a nice first step, as was the task force, but there is still a huge gap between the premium we pay and the premium service we get.
“Carriers need to recognise that becoming a pharma specialist requires more than just saying you’re one. It requires training of operational people and an obligation to invest in airport facilities.”

Source : http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/pharma-defection-to-ocean-is-wake-up-call-to-airfreight.html

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Ambak joins Emirates SkyCargo

Henrik Ambak has joined Emirates SkyCargo as senior vice president, cargo operations worldwide.
Ambak, a Danish national, joins the freight division of Emirates with 27 years of experience in the air cargo industry, having worked for companies such as Novia, CSLux and Cargolux Airlines.
He started his career as a freight forwarder, and then moved into ground and cargo handling, before joining Cargolux to oversee cargo and ground handling, trucking, standards and procedures, network delivery, ground safety, ULD management, Customs and e-Business, as well as IT systems used by the commercial division.
Ambak will be responsible for the management of all Emirates SkyCargo’s operations at its Dubai hub, comprising the Cargo Mega Terminal at Dubai International Airport and Emirates SkyCentral at Dubai World Central, as well as the operations at the more than 140 outstations across the world.
Nabil Sultan, Emirates divisional senior vice president, cargo, said: “Henrik has vast experience in the air cargo industry and this will make him a great addition to our team.
“He joins us at an exciting time when we are experiencing good growth, particularly with the recent start of freighter operations at Emirates SkyCentral and the expansion of our current facilities at Dubai International.”
Said Ambak: “I am proud to be joining a market leader with a strong vision of growth for the future. I look forward to being a part of the Emirates SkyCargo team and contributing to its continued success.”
Emirates SkyCargo operates a fleet of 12 Boeing 777Fs and two Boeing 747-400ERFs.

Source : http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/ambak-joins-emirates-skycargo.html

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Exelsius launches pharma programme

Exelsius has launched a pharmaceutical qualification programme (PQP) for companies involved in the handling and transportation of pharmaceutical & life science products.
The UK-based international cold chain management consultancy says that its programme allows airports, freight forwarders and logistics service providers to become certified to Good Distribution Practice (GDP) standards.
The PQP has been developed specifically for those involved in the air cargo cool chain and allows participants to demonstrate that they are compliant to the latest GDP regulations issued by the airlines, the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the European Union and the US Food and Drugs Administration.
Exelsius chief executive Tony Wright says: “With over half of the value of healthcare products being moved by air, shippers will be seeking only the most compliant GDP logistics providers.
“This programme will be of initial importance in the UK where the MHRA have taken a lead in requiring airport ground handling companies, airlines and forwarders holding pharmaceuticals to have applied for a Wholesale Dealers Authorisation (WDA).
“With the Exelsius pharmaceutical qualification programme, organisations involved in good distribution practice can be ready to meet those requirements.
The PQP programme includes a full facility assessment, compliance plans, quality management system & SOP development, vendor assessment, route qualification and a fully integrated and certificated training plan.
The PQP requires participants to demonstrate compliance with all aspects of an initial gap analysis and training programme before certification will be granted. Re‐assessment will take place within two years.

Source : http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/exelsius-launches-pharma-programme.html

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IAG Cargo gains pharma certificate

IAG Cargo has received GDP (Good Distribution Practice) certification for pharmaceutical transport.
The carrier, bringing together the cargo divisions of British Airways and Iberia, says that it is the first airline to be awarded GDP certification by a national government health agency in meeting the premier standard for pharma transport.
IAG Cargo received the award following an inspection by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. The carrier has been granted Wholesale Distribution Authorisation (WDA) for medicines intended for both human and veterinary use.
Alan Dorling, global head of pharmaceuticals & life sciences at IAG Cargo, commented: “The authorisation is testament to the significant investments we have made in our dedicated people and our temperature controlled infrastructure facilities and capabilities, in addition to continuous product development and training to improve our customer experience.
“It is welcome third party recognition that IAG Cargo has become the diamond standard for the transportation of medicines worldwide and underscores our global leadership in this fast-growing market.”
IAG Cargo has made significant investment in its Constant Climate product for specialist service for time-and-temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals, and is now available in more than 100 stations worldwide.
Loranne Vella Zahra, global quality assurance manager at IAG Cargo, said: “GDP is a complex area that requires all areas of our supply chain to adhere to the highest standards. Our network ensures that only authorised pharmaceutical products are distributed safely, and their strength, stability, purity, potency and integrity are maintained throughout.
“Achieving full GDP status and being granted a WDA is testament to the strong quality system we have in place and the investment we have put in people, equipment, facilities and processes.”
To ensure the integrity of shipments, accredited GDP/WDA shippers  are likely to select those carriers that have a GDP/WDA licence.

Source :  http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/iag-cargo-gains-pharma-certificate.html

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Cathay signs up DoKaSch pharma containers

Cathay Pacific Cargo has signed a master agreement to rent DoKaSch Temperature Solutions' RKN and RAP Opticooler active containers.
The containers, to be rolled out across the Hong Kong-based airline’s network in the first quarter of 2015, are aimed at the shipment of temperature-sensitive goods and pharmaceutical products,.
“Cathay Pacific Cargo is pleased to be the first Asian carrier offering our customers an alternative solution for their temperature-sensitive air cargo shipments,” said Mark Sutch, Cathay Pacific’s general manager cargo sales & marketing.
“In a growing market, and in Asia in particular, we can provide the entire range of active containers, enabling us to offer our customers the best possible air-cargo solution to meet their needs.”

Source : http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/cathay-signs-up-dokasch-pharma-containers.html

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Cargo pallets go on a diet

Air France-KLM is introducing new aluminum pallets that are 17kg lighter than standard pallets but just as strong.
The new 83kg pallets will gradually replace all the current standard stock - each weighing 100kg - in the airline’s fleet.
Said a spokesperson: “Air France-KLM is fully committed to reducing the company’s CO2 footprint, and weight reduction on board the aircraft is an important part of that effort.
“After the successful introduction of lightweight pallet nets last year, another big step is now being taken with the introduction of lightweight pallets.”

Source : http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/cargo-pallets-go-on-a-diet.html

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Air cargo rates gain on US port congestion

 


Air freight rates continued to climb through November on the back of strong peak season demand and conversions from ocean freight as a result of US supply chain bottlenecks.
Drewry’s East-West Air Freight Price Index rose a further 5.3 points in November to reach an all-time peak of 120.8 points, exceeding the record high of 117.4 achieved in November 2013 by a comfortable margin of 3.4 points.
The UK-based consultancy expects air freight pricing to recede in the near term, as the peak season concludes and lower jet fuel costs start to feed into reduced fuel surcharges.

Source : http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/air-cargo-rates-gain-on-us-port-congestion.html

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Cathay Cargo boosted by Beaujolais

Cathay Pacific and Dragonair cargo and mail traffic has continued to show strong year-on-year growth according to the carrier’s latest results with the carrier getting a big boost with shipments of Beaujolais wine to the Far East.

The two airlines carried 165,102 tonnes of cargo and mail in November 2014, up 12% from the same period last year.

There was good news too on load factor totals with cargo and mail load factor up 4.7% to 68.4%. Capacity, measured in available cargo/mail tonne kilometres, rose by 5.3% while cargo and mail revenue tonne kilometres (RTKs) flown were up by 13.1%.

In cumulative terms for the year to the end of November, overall tonnage rose by 11.9% while capacity was up 10.7% and RTKs increased by 14.8%.

Cathay Pacific General Manager Cargo Sales & Marketing Mark Sutch said: “Our business was helped by the bottlenecks in seaports on the West Coast of the USA, leading to more shipments being moved by air,” said Cathay Cargo boss Mark Sutch. “Intra-Asian traffic remained robust in November, and it was a better month for our cargo business in Europe, helped by big shipments of the new-release Beaujolais out of France. We carried close to 2,000 tonnes of the wine in total, most of it bound for Japan.”

Source : http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/cathay-cargo-boosted-by-beaujolais.html

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Self-driving car the future of logistics industry

The logistics industry will probably be one of the first testing grounds for automated vehicles, according to a study from package delivery giant DHL.

Shipping companies will likely adopt the technology faster than other sectors, since moving cargo in non-public areas like storage facilities and warehouses provides a safer venue to test such devices, according to a study published this week by DHL, the freight and express arm of Deutsche Post AG.

Eventually vehicles might bring packages to a pick-up station where a consumer could find them, the study said.

DHL plans to “maintain pole position in the world of self-driving vehicles,” wrote Matthias Heutger and Markus Kueckelhaus, the authors of the study. "The question is no longer ‘if’ but rather ‘when’ autonomous vehicles will drive onto our streets and highways."

Source : http://www.cargobusinessnews.com/news/techwire/news2.html

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Dubai drives October's cargo surge

A Dubai cargo surge helped global air freight traffic maintain an upward trend in volumes with a year-over-year growth rate of five per cent for October, reports Airports Council International (ACI).
Overall worldwide accumulated volumes for the last twelve months rose by 4.6 per cent. International freight volumes jumped up by 5.6 per cent, whereas domestic volumes increased by 3.4 per cent.
Global air freight is set to grow by over four per cent this year compared with 2013, said the association of 591 member airport authorities, which operate 1,861 airports in 177 countries,
The Middle East posted the greatest increase in freight volumes at 13.7 per cent year-over-year for October. Dubai World Central (DWC) is now “a major contributor to overall increases in freight volumes for the region,” said ACI, adding: “Air freight volumes at DWC have increased by over 331 per cent as compared to the previous year.”
Part of the reason for the massive uptick is that DWC has benefited from a switch of freighter operations from Dubai International Airport. 
Africa also achieved double digit growth of 10.7 per cent for the month of October. Johannesburg (JNB), Africa's largest freight hub, moved up by 7.6 per cent in terms of freight volumes.
Asia-Pacific posted increases in volumes of 4.8 per cent in of October, which is slightly below the twelve-month growth trend of 5.7 per cent: “Nevertheless, the region's largest freight hubs continue to report gains in volumes. Hong Kong (HKG), Shanghai (PVG) and Incheon (ICN) saw volumes increase by 4.3 per cent, 7.5 per cent and 1.7 per cent respectively for the month.”
North America also experienced growth of over four per cent following a weakened air freight market in 2013. Memphis (MEM), North America's busiest freight airport and FedEx hub, and Louisville (SDF), the UPS hub, grew by 2.2 per cent and 4.2 per cent during October.
Europe experienced “more moderate growth” of 3.6 per cent year-over-year. However, results were mixed across airports in the region.
Frankfurt (FRA) grew only slightly (0.7 per cent), while Paris (CDG) had a decline of one per cent. Amsterdam (AMS) and London (LHR) grew by 7.7 per cent and 8.3 per cent respectively.
With ongoing weakness in the Brazilian and Argentinian economies, freight volumes in Latin-America-Caribbean increased only slightly, by 1.7 per cent for October.

ACI world economics director Rafael Echevarne said: "Although there has been improvement in the US economy, coupled with greater momentum in international trade volumes in Asia-Pacific, downside risks continue to persist in other regions, particularly in the Euro area."
Echevarne continued: “The German economy has experienced weak industrial production and export growth, which may translate into weakness across its economy. Japan, Russia and Brazil are also stagnating. Many of these factors combined may adversely affect air transport demand."

Source : http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/dubai-drives-octobers-cargo-surge.html

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Qantas management reshuffle

 

A top level management reshuffle at Australian carrier Qantas has seen Gareth Evans appointed chief executive of Qantas International and Freight.
Evans, currently chief financial officer for the Qantas Group, has been a senior executive at Qantas for 15 years and brings experience from previous roles that spanned network, pricing, scheduling and operations.
Said Qantas: “Using his airline and finance background, and building on the key role he has played in the transformation of the group as a whole, Gareth will be focused on completing the turnaround of Qantas International.”
Qantas Freight has a network of 21 specialist cargo handling terminals in 15 major gateway ports across Australia and in a dedicated terminal in Los Angeles.
It operates a fleet of 11 freighter aircraft to supplement capacity to key import and export destinations in Australia and around the world.
The aircraft operate a mix of scheduled and charter services, including seven weekly services from Australia to China, five weekly services between China and the USs and 37 nightly inter-capital Australian domestic services.
The wider group changes see the revised management team put under the leadership of Qantas Group chief executive Alan Joyce.
As a result of the new structure the current chief executive of Qantas International, Simon Hickey, and chief executive of Qantas Domestic, Lyell Strambi, have decided to leave the airline.
Said the national flag carrier: “This represents a flatter structure for the broader Qantas Group executive team, with the positions of deputy CFO, QantasLink CEO and Qantas Airways chief operating officer not being replaced.
“Transition to the new structure will begin in the New Year, with changes finalised by March 2015. The last major restructure of the Qantas Executive Committee was in May 2012.”

Source :  http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/qantas-management-reshuffle.html

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Heathrow volumes rise in November

A surge in cargo to Mexico, Brazil, India and Turkey helped London-Heathrow airport freight volumes rise 2.3 per cent in November to 136,400 tonnes, compared with like month 2013.
For the 11 months in the year to date, the UK’s top air cargo hub registered an overall 5.3 per cent increase in volumes to 1.37m tonnes versus prior year.
Heathrow saw a number cargo tonnage increases during November, including a 41.3 per cent rise in cargo to Mexico, a 37.6 per cent increase to Brazil, 20.0 per cent to India and 13.3 per cent to Turkey.

Source : http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/heathrow-volumes-rise-in-november.html

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Tonnage up but rates to shrink in 2015 says IATA

Senior cargo executives at IATA member airlines are predicting that global air freight tonnage will increase next year at its fastest rate since 2010. Yet rates are likely to shrink by a further 5.8 per cent in real terms, intensifying pressure on margins.
Brian Pearce, IATA chief economist, told a media briefing in Geneva that volume measured by freight tonne-kilometres has continued its steady recovery this year. The October figure of almost 14.5bn FTKs surpassed the industry’s all-time peak achieved four years ago.
“We’re seeing growth after a challenging time but we’re facing significant challenges,” Pearce said. IATA heads of cargo foresee a 4.3 per cent increase in volumes to 53.5m tonnes, slightly ahead of this year’s growth rate, but expect further yield erosion.
Air freight yields are now 20 per cent below their 2010 levels, reflecting continued weakness in load factors, and are declining again after some evidence of rate stabilisation mid-year. Pearce said growth in word trade was “half hearted” and business confidence had flat-lined.
Meanwhile, changes in manufacturing patterns could impact on international freight flows. “We are seeing some on-shoring of production for good economic reasons. China has seen a doubling of labour costs in the last 10 years while US energy prices have halved, leading to a renaissance of manufacturing in the US,” he commented.
Pearce also warned of the risks of protectionism, occurring via subtle procurement changes as well as traditional tariff mechanisms. Governments were concerned about protecting jobs at home, but their action risked “shrinking international trade and economic growth for everyone,” he said.
Air’s share of the overall freight market, which fell by 1.5 per cent annually over the first decade of this century, had stabilised since 2012 and air was “becoming more attractive again compared with other modes,” Pearce insisted.
However, the 40 per cent fall in oil prices since mid-2014, while in principle helping airlines control their costs, would not produce an immediate benefit as they would have hedged at least half their fuel requirements at rates north of $90 per barrel.    
“The success of their passenger colleagues also challenges cargo departments,” Pearce said. Load factor had stopped falling and freighter utilisation was increasing, underlining the industry’s ability to matching supply to demand, but he stressed that “lots of new capacity is coming online”.
IATA estimates that aircraft deliveries will increase by six per cent in 2015, putting pressure back on utilisation.

Source :http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/tonnage-up-but-rates-to-shrink-in-2015-says-iata.html

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TNT adds Venice freighter call

Parcels carrier TNT is launching a five-times a week B737-400 freighter service between Venice and its Liege air hub in Belgium, aimed at exporters and importers trading with north-east Italy.
The morning flight from Liege arrives at Venice Airport Marco Polo (VCE) at 6:00 am and continues onto Ljubljana (Slovenia) before returning to Liege.
Five weekly flights from Athens to Liege will stop in Venice on the northbound leg, departing VCE at 11:00 pm.
Said TNT: “To ensure smooth connections between air and road operations, the air gateway is located in the existing TNT Marcon depot, near Venice. It is TAPA-certified and can handle up to 10 air freight containers (or ULDs) with a loading capacity of 2,000 kg each.”
Opened in 2013, TNT's Marcon depot uses advanced automated scanning and sorting equipment. From February 2015, the air gateway and the depot will use a new, fully automated sorting machine, which will speed up the sorting of export shipments by two hours. This equipment is being rolled out across TNT Italy depots.


Source : http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/tnt-adds-venice-freighter-call.html

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Transaero Launches cargo service to Beijing

Russia’s leading carrier, Transaero Airlines, has launched a freighter service to China.
Transaero delivered 22.4 tonnes of mail on the first flight between Beijing and Novosibirsk using one of the airline’s pair of new Tupolev Tu-204C aircraft. The year old aircraft will be regular performers on the route.
The airline is seeking closer links with China having recently entered into a partnership agreement with the country’s largest Bank, ICBC, both to attract future funding and, through ICBC Leasing, to facilitate the purchase of Airbus A321 aircraft.
“We regard the launch of scheduled cargo flights to China as another step in facilitating the development of business links between the two countries,” said Transaero chief executive Olga Pleshakova.

Source : http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/transaero-launches-cargo-service-to-beijing.html

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IATA figures find fair weather for freight flow

IATA’s November Airlines Financial Monitor finds good news for much of the air cargo sector as freight volumes continue to expand steadily and load factors improve on the back of growth in demand.
Air freight volumes increased in October compared to September, with recent improvements driven by progress in Asia Pacific and North America due to expanding trade volumes, bouncing back after weaker performance earlier in 2014.
Asia Pacific’s improvements were blunted somewhat as Chinese carriers were hit by a depreciating local currency, leading to a combination of weakness in cargo revenues as well as rising cost pressures.

Source : http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/iata-figures-find-fair-weather-for-freight-flow.html

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ANA and Lufthansa Cargo JV hauls first shipment

The cargo joint venture between All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Lufthansa Cargo has carried its first shipment.
Sent by forwarder Schenker-Seino and booked via Lufthansa Cargo, three pieces of general cargo weighing 153kg were transported by ANA on a direct flight from Tokyo to London.
The forwarder was able to receive the shipment approximately 16 hours earlier than by choosing the transfer connection via Frankfurt.
On the same day, a Lufthansa Cargo freighter flight carried the first shipment booked through ANA. The load weighed 1.8 tonnes.
Japan’s largest airline and global freighter operator Lufthansa Cargo have launched their air cargo joint venture on Japan-Europe routes, with both airlines now offering joint sales of shipments on flights from Japan to Europe.
By accessing cargo capacities on freighter aircraft, it is now possible for ANA customers to send big volume freight and cargo that may be transported only on freighters, directly from Tokyo to Frankfurt.
Akira Okada, ANA Cargo chief executive, said: “I am delighted that we have implemented the world’s first cargo joint venture of this kind. This partnership will improve the level of service offered to customers by generating a greater selection of routings and a wider range of service options.
“With the joint venture, both airlines will boost their position in global competition and make even better use of their aircraft capacities”, underlines Okada. 
Peter Gerber, Lufthansa Cargo chairman and chief executive, said: “This cooperation marks a great step for our customers. They will benefit from a more attractive network. We are looking forward to intensifying our cooperation with ANA, which sets a further milestone in bringing the economies of Japan and Europe closer together.” 

Source :http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/ana-and-lufthansa-cargo-jv-hauls-first-shipment.html

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TNT cockpit iPads save 50kg in paper

TNT Airways is to roll out paperless cockpits across its worldwide fleet by using iPad Air tablets as electronic flight bags.
TNT’s subsidiary airline, with a fleet of 50 aircraft, has made the move following approval from the Belgian Civil Aviation Authority.
Each iPad will replace the 50kg of paper books and manuals carried by crews on each flight. Going paperless will also simplify the updating of flight documents, as updates are managed centrally and electronically, regardless of the crews’ location.

All TNT Airways’ 274 pilots have received an iPad. The aircraft cockpits have been modified to house the devices and permit their use in all phases of a flight, including take-off and landing.
The approval was granted following a successful six-month validation period. TNT will remove paper documentation from its aircraft and flights by the end of 2014.
From January 2015, TNT pilots will rely solely on iPads to access information such as operating manuals, maps and navigation charts.
“TNT Airways is one of the first commercial airlines in Europe to receive the authorisation to deploy paperless cockpits. This testifies to TNT’s commitment to innovation and safety,” said Martin Sodergard, managing director network operations, TNT.
In September this year, Lufthansa Cargo said it was introducing an iPad-based Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) packed with navigation maps and operating manuals for cockpit use by pilots.


Source : http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/tnt-cockpit-ipads-save-50kg-in-paper.html

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Drewry Air Freight Price Index

East-West airfreight rates were for the second month in a row largely unchanged in July with Drewry’s East-West Air Freight Price Index only moving up by 0.8 points to 102.4 points. The small increase in pricing brought the index up to within 1.4 points of April’s high and an impressive 8.2 points above last year’s level, indicating the strength of the recovery in airfreight pricing over the last 12 months. Pricing stability has been supported by the removal of freighter capacity that has compensated for a seasonal rise in belly-hold space. Hence, Drewry expects airfreight rates to remain stable through August. However, thereafter pricing is expected to rise as new product launches, such as the iPhone 6, lead to a tightening of capacity.
Source: Drewry Sea & Air Shipper Insight
http://aircargoworld.com/Air-Freight-Data#chart8

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Asia Airlines Capacity and Cargo Traffic

 

Overall, airfreight demand in freight tonne kilometers (FTK) grew by an encouraging 4.7 percent compared to the same month last year. The average international freight load factor rose for the second consecutive month, by 0.8 percentage points to 66.1 percent in June, on a 3.4 percent growth in offered freight capacity.
 Source: Association of Asia Pacific Airlines / http://aircargoworld.com/Air-Freight-Data#chart8

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European Airlines Freight Traffic

This is the monthly year-over-year percent change in overall freight traffic and Asia-Pacific freight traffic for European airlines. Asia Pacific fell in June 2014, and overall increased. Source: Association of European Airlines

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Two Decades of Lufthansa Cargo

Lufthansa cargo has spent the last 20 years flying around the world 3.6m times and transporting the equivalent of 9.3m elephant .
Lufthansa Cargo is celebrating two decades as an independent business after Deutsche Lufthansa AG pooled its cargo activities into a separate company.

Germany's freight flagship carrier states: "Flying cargo has always played a major role at Lufthansa and its predecessors; however, it was not until the founding of a dedicated cargo segment that the airline’s air freight business truly took off."
A few weeks after its official foundation, Lufthansa Cargo started operating with a fleet of five McDonnell Douglas DC8 freighters, ten Boeing 747-200Fs and two Boeing 737 freighters in January 1995. Twenty years later, Lufthansa Cargo flies both with MD-11F and brand-new B777 freighters.

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DHL Supply Chain boosts Chinese logistics investment

DHL Supply Chain (DSC) has more than doubled its commitment to infrastructure investment in China, with a further Euro113m added to the Euro105m committed by the German-owned logistics operator last year.

The total Euro218m investment will support the development of DHL’s Chinese network and, in particular, six new logistics facilities scheduled for completion by 2020 in Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Shenyang, Shenzhen and Shanghai Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone.
"By working closely with our customers who provide us with their demand forecast, we have a clear roadmap of the locations we need to be in, as well as the level of the services required,” said Oscar de Bok, chief executive of DHL Supply Chain Asia Pacific. 
“In China alone, DSC will expand its warehouse facilities and transport capacities by 50% over the next three years."
DSC recently opened its state-of-the art 54,000 sq m Chengdu Logistics Centre facility in western China to support customers across a spectrum of industries including technology, consumer and healthcare. The new facility also acts as a multi-user cross-dock to support the effective and efficient transportation of products across the Western region.
Zou Yin, managing director of DHL Supply Chain China, said: "Helping companies navigate China's vast geography and varied terrain to deliver their goods safely, efficiently and cost effectively has been the holy grail of the logistics industry."
New facilities have also been introduced in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, while the roll-out of DHL Supply Chain cross-docks has been accelerated across China to allow the transfer of cargo with minimal warehousing.

Source : http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/dhl-supply-chain-boosts-chinese-logistics-investment.html

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New Beluga to fly by 2019

Airbus is to expand its oversize air transport capability with the development of five new Beluga transport aircraft.
The future “white whales” will be based on the A330 aircraft, with a large re-use of existing components and equipment.
The current five-strong Beluga fleet – now up to 20 years old - is based on the twin-engine A300-600R and can carry a maximum payload of 47 tonnes non-stop over a range of 1,660 km.
Said Airbus: “The distinctive looking lowered cockpit, the cargo bay structure and the rear-end and tail will be amongst the items which will be newly developed.”
The European plane maker said that the A350 XWB ramp-up and other aircraft production rate increase were behind the decision to launch the development and production of the specialist freighter.
The first of the new Belugas will enter in service in mid-2019. The existing Beluga fleet will operate in parallel, and will be progressively retired through to 2025.
The Airbus Beluga replaced the ageing Super Guppy transporters from 1995 in order to supply plane maker Airbus’ final assembly lines in Toulouse and Hamburg.
Today, more than sixty flights are performed each week between eleven sites, carrying parts for all of the Airbus programmes, including the A380.
The five-strong Beluga fleet is operated by Airbus Transport International, an Airbus subsidiary airline.
With the production start of the A350 XWB in 2012 and the production ramp-up on other Airbus programmes, the Beluga fleet activity will increase substantially over the next five years.
Airbus says that flight hours per aircraft will double by 2017 (from 5,000 to 10,000 flight hours).

Source : http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/new-beluga-to-fly-by-2019.html 

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UTi charters B747F to ease US port congestion

US dockside port congestion has prompted UTi Worldwide charter a weekly B747F from Shanghai to Chicago.
The global supply chain services and solutions company says that the scheduled service is intended to ease the backlog of goods needed in North America.
"Congestion at west coast US ports has reached a critical level and we think it will get worse before we see any improvements," said Ed Feitzinger, UTi's executive vice president, global operations
Feitzinger added: "Airfreight demand has spiked in recent weeks to levels not seen in years. In order to provide relief to North American importers during these extraordinary times, we are offering dedicated premium lift service to the US Midwest."
The first charter is scheduled to depart Shanghai on November 24, with a second charter scheduled for December 1. The flights will arrive in Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and UTi can arrange on-forwarding to other destinations.
"Our charter service offers shippers an alternative to having their freight sit on a dock and miss this important selling season or be forced to shut down a factory for want of parts," Feitzinger added.

Source : http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/uti-charters-b747f-to-ease-us-port-congestion.html

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Paper-less air cargo supply chain facility introduced at Bengaluru airport

Air India SATS Airport Services Pvt Ltd (AISATS), a 50:50 joint venture between Air India Limited and SATS Limited, a gateway services and food solutions provider in Asia, has introduced an e-freight initiative at its Bengaluru Airfreight Terminal facility.

With this launch, AISATS BLR has taken a step towards IATAs e-freight initiative, building a paper-free air cargo supply chain and replacing it with cheaper, accurate and reliable electronic messaging, AISATS said in a statement.

To facilitate this, AISATS has incorporated its Airport Community System (ACS), a web-based electronic platform that enables seamless electronic data interchange (EDI) between various stakeholders in the air cargo value chain. With this system in place, AISATS is well-equipped to do away with the traditional paper-based shipping data consolidation, and move towards electronic data management.

"With this online portal, freight forwarders and cargo handling agents will have complete shipment visibility and be able to send data demanded by multiple carriers, customs, and airport operators electronically through a single portal without doing duplicating data entry efforts on separate platforms," AISATS said.

The ACS will also help in creating airline booking requests and sending the same electronically to the airlines including creating and printing of Master Air Waybill, House Air Waybills and Bar Code labels. This is set to ease sending FWB / FHL messages to airlines as well as create and print customs clearance documents.

Willy Ko, CEO, AISATS, said: "Since its inception, AISATS has always been committed towards minimising impact of its operational processes on the environment. This e-freight initiative is yet another effort by AISATS and it is a big stride towards fulfilling its desire to protect the environment. Not only will this green initiative increase operational efficiency but it also help to preserve the environment by effectively reducing paperwork."

Source: http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/paper-less-air-cargo-supply-chain-facility-introduced-at-bengaluru-airport-114111800467_1.html

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Cargolux posts best ever October figures

Cargolux, Europe’s largest all-cargo carrier, posted its best ever October, with its fleet of 22 Boeing 747 freighters breaking records for tonnage, revenue and block hours.

Tonnage grew 6.7 percent and net revenue was up 9.9 percent from a year ago, making October the second-best month in the Luxembourg-based airline’s history after November 2013.

The carrier said it also achieved the highest daily utilization of all operators of the 747-8F at more than 16 hours a day through October.

The combined fleet of 11 747-8Fs and 11 747-400Fs operated 9,379 block hours during the month and flew 1,672 flights, including 362 from its Luxembourg hub, second only to the performance in November 2013.

Cargolux said it expects to “substantially” improve on the October results in November with more than 10,000 block hours flown in a single month for the first time ever, coupled with further increases in tonnage and revenue.

The airline made a net profit of $8.4 million in 2013 on revenue of $1.99 billion as traffic grew 16.7 percent to a record 753,848 metric tons.

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Christmas bonus for air cargo as rates soar due to west coast port congestion

Costs for chartering a freighter to fly from China to the US have skyrocketed, with as much as a 100% rise in rates over the last few months.

While November lease rates for a round trip might rise, normally, to about $400,000 for a 747F, from $300,000 earlier in the year, one air cargo source familiar with the matter told The Loadstar this month prices have been “exceptionally strong, touching $600,000 in a few cases”.

UTi announced last week that it was scheduling 747 charters to Chicago from Shanghai to help shippers beat the congestion at US west coast ports in advance of the holiday season.

Shipping line prices have also increased, with many carriers implementing congestion surcharges, which come into effect today, of up to $1,000 per teu – a significant hike when the spot rate for a Shanghai-US west coast container is currently about $2,000 per teu.

MSC, which filed its congestion surcharge notice as early as May, issued an advisory stating: “This action is due to the labour-related disruption on the US west coast ports that has caused significant delays at this time, not only with our vessels, but with terminal operations and intermodal processes. For this reason, MSC is absorbing significant costs to ourselves, obliging us to charge $800 per 20ft, $1,000 per 40ft and $1,125 /40ft high-cube in order to recover our losses.”

Yang Ming said it too had “absorbed significant additional costs and expenses” brought on by the congestion, and from today would add surcharges ranging from $800 to $1,266 to any US west coast or Canadian gateway port.

The growing congestion problem has led to shippers, in particu
lar in the garment and hi-tech industries, seeking air charters instead.

“This November, charter rates have been north of $500,000, and the market for early December is tight,” said one air charter source.

“Nearly all of this general cargo was sea-to-air conversions, in order to get goods into the stores before US Thanksgiving.”

It is thought, however, that some forwarders have lost out by chartering freighters for their customers who did not want to pay the higher lease rates.

While some media have reported that the west coast congestion could continue until February’s Chinese New Year, December demand for freighters is being led by the integrators and is not necessarily related to the west coast port problem.

“Early December will continue to be tight, but this is different business to what is being flown now. There is not so much sea-to-air conversion,” said one source.

DHL is thought to be “snapping up capacity” for December, while one source indicated that FedEx had wet-leased two 747Fs from Atlas Air and two from Kalitta.

The demand has also had a slight knock-on effect in other markets, with a tightening of capacity expected at the end of November between China and South America, and there are even some indications that China-Europe is beginning to pick up – although one loss-making cargo airline is rumoured to be bucking the money-making trend, offering below-market rates for the fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, White House officials have met with shipping trade groups in an attempt to find a resolution to the US west coast port issues.

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17TH WCA FIRST ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2015

For the 17^th consecutive year, WCA will once again host the world’s most dynamic event for independent logistics companies. Acknowledged globally as the most important conference of its kind, independent freight forwarders from the world’s premier global network will come together for face-to-face meetings with their peers from around the world.
Thanks to the unprecedented opportunities to build new relationships and strengthen existing ties, the conference is firmly established as the most productive business-generating platform of the year. The event has grown every year without exception and the 2015 conference will offer even greater avenues for you to develop new partnerships and secure more business.
The 17^th WCA First Annual Conference will be held from 29 Jan - 1 Feb and acts as the launch event for the prestigious WCA Conference Week, which runs from 2-5 Feb and integrates all WCA networks into the world’s largest logistics meeting.
WCA Conference Week is a must for all members of WCA – with millions of dollars of new business generated from One-on-One Meetings with fellow members, potential partners and existing colleagues, as well as from the extensive social networking events.
Members of WCA make up the world’s most powerful grouping of independent freight forwarders with 5565 member offices in more than 762 cities and ports – more logistics power than all other logistics networks combined.

Source : www.wcaworld.com

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Ten-month cargo volumes of Neva-Metal grow 10% to 2,6 million tonnes

A Severstal stevedoring unit, St. Petersburg based terminal operator Neva-Metal CJSC in January-October 2014 handled about 2,6 million tonnes of cargo, which represents a 10% growth on the ten-month period of 2013, the terminal operator said.

In the reporting period container traffic at Neva-Metal terminal totaled some75,000 TEUs.

Neva-Metal CJSC, part of Severstal's transport division, operates at Third cargo area in Sea Port of Saint-Petersburg. The company started in 1995. The terminal operator specializes in handling / storage of containerized and general cargoes delivered multimodally to the terminal (by sea-going vessels, rail cars and trucks).

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Cargo traffic at Russian seaports in Jan-Oct 2014 grows 6% to 518.5 million tonnes

Handling of exports, imports and transit cargo at Russian seaports in January-October 2014 increased by 6% compared with the same period last year to 518,5 million tonnes, the Association of Commercial Sea Ports (ASOP) of Russia said.

The ASOP statistics shows that dry cargo amounted to 239.9 million tonnes (+ 13.3%), including: coal - 97.2 million tonnes (+ 14.7%), containerized cargo - 39 1 million tonnes (+ 5.8%), grain - 25.5 million tonnes (a 1.8 times surge), ferrous metals - 19.4 million tonnes (+ 6%), mineral fertilizers - 12.4 million tonnes ( + 16.5%), ferry traffic - 6.8 million tonnes (+ 24.5%), timber - 4 million tonnes (+ 7.2%) and scrap metal - 3.9 million tonnes (+33.3 %). There was a decline in volumes of ore - to 5.3 million tonnes (-14.6%) and of non-ferrous metals - to 2.7 million tonnes (-15.7%).

The ten-month volume of liquid bulk edged up 0.5% to 278.6 million tonnes, including crude oil - 158.5 million tonnes (-8.4%), oil products - 107 million tonnes (+ 15.1%) and liquefied natural gas - 10.1 million tonnes (+12.2 %).

Overall, in the reporting period shipment of exports at the country's seaports totaled 411.9 million tonnes, which represents a 7.8% gain from Jan-Oct. 2013, while imports segment saw a 5.2% decline to 36.5 million tonnes. Transit cargoes increased by 2.3% to 39.7 million tonnes, short sea traffic volume rose 2.1% and totaled 30.4 million tonnes.

The ports of the Arctic Basin handled 29.9 million tonnes of cargo, which is a 22.8% drop on last year's figure. The volume of dry cargo increased to 21.7 million tonnes (+ 4.8%), of liquid bulk – plummeted by more than twofold to 8.2 million tonnes. Cargo throughput of the port of Murmansk shrank by 27.1% to 18.8 million tonnes, including JSC Murmansk Commercial Sea Port - 13.8 million tonnes (-4.1%). Port of Arkhangelsk's cargo volume fell by 10.5% to 3.4 million tonnes. The port Varandey demonstrated strong performance at 4.9 million tonnes (+ 9.5%).

Cargo throughput at the terminals of the Baltic Sea ports increased to 188 million tonnes (+ 4.6%), including dry cargo segment - 74.6 million tonnes or + 9.6%, liquid bulk - 113.4 million tonnes (+ 1.6%).

The port of Ust-Luga handled 62.8 million tonnes, which represents a 21.2% growth year-on-year, Big Port St.Petersburg - 51.3 million tonnes (+ 6.5%), Port of Visotsk - 14.9 million tonnes (+ 10.4%), Port of Kaliningrad - 11.6 million tonnes (+ 2.5%), Port of Vyborg - 1.4 million tonnes (+ 17.2%). Exports / imports volume at the Port of Primorsk shrank by 14.3% to 46 million tonnes.

Freight traffic at the ports of the Azov-Black Sea basin totaled 158.5 million tonnes, which is 10.2% more than a year earlier. Dry cargo segment increased by 17.6% to 59.8 million tonnes, liquid bulk cargo totaled 98.7 million tonnes (+ 6.2%). The port of Novorossiysk terminals moved 101.7 million tonnes of cargo (+ 8.6%), Tuapse port operators handled 18.4 million tonnes (+ 27.9%), of the Port of Taman - 8.5 million tonnes (+ 19.1%), Port Kavkaz - 8.4 million tonnes (+ 28.1%), Port of Azov - 5.3 million tonnes (+ 18.2%), Port of Yeysk - 3.3 million tonnes (+ 7.2%) and Temryuk port transshipped up to 1.7 million tonnes (+ 3.7%).

In the ten-month period the Caspian sea ports loaded / offloaded 6.6 million tonnes (-0.7%), including dry cargo - 2.8 million tonnes (+ 9.9%), liquid bulk - 3 7 million tonnes (-7.5%). Throughput of the port of Makhachkala decreased by 3.4%, of Olya port - by 8.1%, while the Port of Astrakhan demonstrated a 5.9% growth.

The Far East Basin ports' cargo volumes in January-October amounted to 135.5 million tonnes (+ 12.7%). Dry bulk segment rose 16.4% to 81.0 million tonnes, liquid bulk cargo – by 7.8% to 54.5 million tonnes.

Vostochny Port cargo volume jumped by 20.4% to 48.5 million tonnes, Port Vanino reported a 7.2% gain to 21.2 million tonnes, Port of Nakhodka throughput increased by 14.8% to 17.6 million tonnes, port of Prigorodnoye moved 13.3 million tonnes (+ 0.5%), handling of imports/exports at the Port of Vladivostok rose to 12.9 million tonnes (+ 6.8%), terminals of De Kastri handled 6.5 million tonnes of cargo (+ 14.9%) and Port Posiet - 5.7 million tonnes (+ 22.3%).

Association of Commercial Sea Ports (ASOP) was founded in 1987. Currently ASOP unites more than 50 Russian organizations and enterprises of maritime transport. The Association includes commercial sea ports, forwarding and agency companies, research institutes and maritime transport schools. The outcome data of the Russian port complex is based on statistical reports, covering all stevedoring companies operating in the country.  Complete statistics is presented in the quarterly report of ASOP "Cargo traffic at the ports of Russia, CIS and Baltic countries." 

Source:http://en.portnews.ru/news/190226/

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Apple’s iPhone 6 boosts Asia-Pacific cargo numbers

SHIPMENTS of the iPhone 6 helped boost air-cargo figures in the Asia-Pacific in September, ­resulting in regional growth beating the global average.

But aviation officials warn the improvement in global business confidence has stagnated and this could hit air cargo.

Asia-Pacific carriers emerged from a first-quarter slowdown to post a 5.7 per cent increase in cargo traffic compared to a global average of 5.2 per cent.

The International Air Transport Association said the region was benefiting from a rebound in trade activity that included ­increased air-freight shipments from China. Capacity rose 5.6 per cent, leaving load factors relatively flat. The 5.2 per cent rise in global freight tonne kilometres was 0.8 percentage points ahead of the 4.4 per cent average growth in demand for the year so far.

“Although the overall growth rate continues the positive trend of recent months, regional variations are significant,” IATA said.

“Airlines in Asia-Pacific, North America, Middle East and Africa all posted strong growth figures (between 5 per cent and 17 per cent above the previous year’s levels).

“European airlines, however, saw a decline of 1.6 per cent compared to September 2013 and Latin American airlines reported little difference from 2013 with growth of just 0.3 per cent.”

IATA director general Tony Tyler said the European decline was “a worrying trend” reflecting general uncertainty in the European economy amplified by sanctions against Russia.

“Overall, improvements in ­global business confidence have stagnated, which could mean a bumpy road ahead,” Mr Tyler said.

The IATA director was more upbeat about global passenger growth, which rose 5.3 per cent in September as load factors inched ahead to 80.3 per cent.

Asia-Pacific airlines were up 4.8 per cent on a year ago.

This was a weaker rise than August, but IATA said the trend was positive and reflected better demand conditions in the region, including stronger trade activity. European growth slowed to 3.9 per cent, but was hit by a 14-day Air France strike and weakness in the eurozone economy.

Load factors on European carriers hit 84.7 per cent, the highest for any region and a 1 percentage point rise on last year. North America recorded the second lowest demand rise of 2.1 per cent while Middle East carriers were the highest at 15.8 per cent.

Africa brought up the rear with growth of just 1.8 per cent compared to last year, down significantly on the August year-on-year growth of 7 per cent.

IATA cautioned this could not be necessarily interpreted as a result of the Ebola epidemic, due to the region’s volatility.

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Canada Aims To Allow Shippers To Self-Screen Air Cargo

Transport Canada is proposing to allow shippers to screen their cargo before it reaches an airport, rather than solely relying on carriers to do so, in order to bridge security gaps and prevent terrorist attacks.

The Canadian government said relying on carriers to screen all cargo for explosive devices would be “slow and impractical,” resulting in bottlenecks, slowdowns and additional costs. This new initiative would bring up the standard of air cargo screening and save C$202 million in the next decade, according to Transport Canada.

The government agency said the proposed amendments to the Canadian Aviation Security Regulations 2012 outline a voluntary program that allows shippers to become “known consignors.” To qualify, a shipper must be a registered Canadian business; successfully pass a Transport Canada security assessment; provide Transport Canada with a cargo security plan that outlines their facility, personnel and cargo security procedures; and successfully pass an on-site compliance assessment.

Transport Canada said the initiative was prompted by threats like the October 2010 incidence in which explosive devices were found in air cargo headed to the U.S. from Yemen. Those threat spurred the U.S. to create Air Cargo Advanced Screening Initiative, which is much like the one Ottawa is seeking.

About half of all air cargo in Canada is carried on passenger flights, totaling more than 400 million kilograms annually, The Canadian Press reported.

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Five-year Forecast Shows Improved Outlook for Air Cargo

Geneva - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) Airline Industry Forecast 2014-2018 shows that international freight volumes are expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.1% over the next five years. Emerging economies, particularly in the Middle East and Africa, will be the fastest-growing markets.

International Freight Developments:

• The Middle East is forecast to be the fastest growing region over the forecast period with a CAGR of 4.7%.
• The second-fastest growing market, Africa, will have a CAGR of 4.4%. Asia-Pacific and Latin America, both with a CAGR of 3.8%, will be the joint third-fastest growing markets.
• The mature markets of Europe and North America will grow at 3.0% CAGR and 2.8% CAGR, respectively.
• By 2018, the ten largest international freight markets will be the United States (10,054,000 tonnes), China (5,639,000), the UAE (4,974,000), Germany (4,763,000), Hong Kong (4,648,000), Republic of Korea (3,487,000), Japan (3,480,000), the United Kingdom (2,808,000), Chinese Taipei (2,350,000) and India (2,223,000).
• Iran is expected to be the fastest growing country (of nations with more than 100,000 tonnes of cargo per year) for air freight volumes over the forecasting horizon with a CAGR of 7.0% per annum. However, it is growing from a low base so it will add just 44,000 tonnes of freight by 2018 for a total of 156,000 tonnes.
• The second fastest-growing market, India, will experience a CAGR of 6.8% to add 622,000 extra tonnes. Bangladesh (339,000 total freight tonnes), Ethiopia (319,000) and Nigeria (276,000) make up the remainder of the top five.
• Another notable growth country will be Qatar. With a CAGR of 5.7% it will be the sixth-fastest growing and it will see 361,000 additional tonnes to take its total freight tonnes to 1,484,000.

Source : http://www.wcainterglobal.com/eng/news.asp?id=961

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Air Cargo World - IATA shows robust growth in August air cargo FTKs

Global air freight markets showed continued robust growth in air cargo volumes in August, according to the latest data from The International Air Transport Association (IATA). Measured by freight-tonne-kilometers (FTKs), volumes rose 5.1% in August 2014, compared to August 2013, while capacity grew at a slower pace of 3.4% from the previous year. This is the second consecutive strong month for cargo volumes, following the 6.1% year-on-year rise recorded in July.
“The outlook for air cargo is clearly getting better. However, there are some limiting factors on the extent of potential gains. Demand for air cargo is growing more slowly than global economic activity,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s director general and CEO. “Businesses are reported to have more confidence in the future, but the list of political and economic risks continues to moderate how that confidence translates into actual activity.”
Carriers in all regions reported an expansion in volumes. African airlines led the pack with the strongest growth of air cargo demand – 9.2% year-on-year – with capacity growth of 4.2%. Although this is the second consecutive month of strong growth, the volatility of African data, coupled with the slowdown in key African economies such as South Africa, IATA said it is too soon to understand the extent to which this represents a real and sustainable acceleration.
Middle Eastern carriers enjoyed cargo growth of 7.8%, although the pace was a little below the year-to-date average of 9.6%. The Middle East continues to expand strongly on its growing links to developing markets, as well as diversifying into important commodities such as perishables. Capacity was up 6.0%.
Asia Pacific carriers grew 6.3% and capacity expanded by 4.4%, continuing the acceleration of recent months. Emerging Asia trade volumes have expanded volumes solidly in June and July. A notable rise in Chinese export orders bodes well for future demand growth, IATA said.
North American carriers increased air freight volumes by a solid 5.5% compared to a year ago. A rebound in business activity following the weakness in the first quarter and positive underlying economic growth trends should support stronger growth in the coming months, IATA said. Capacity, however, fell slightly, by 0.4%.
European airlines grew by just 1.4%, while capacity expanded by 4.8%. Economic activity within the Eurozone continues to deteriorate, IATA noted, although the latest data does show a moderate pick-up in imports and exports. EU sanctions as a result of the Russia-Ukraine crisis also continue to affect demand, the group added.
Latin American airlines saw air cargo grow by a sluggish 1.1%, compared to August 2013, while capacity rose sharply to 7.6%. The weakness in Latin American freight volumes reflects declines in regional trade activity and the anemic performance of the Brazilian economy, IATA concluded.

Source : http://www.wcainterglobal.com/eng/news.asp?id=951

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11th Annual Sino International Freight Forwarders Conference (4-7 November 2014)

The Sino-International Freight Forwarders Conference celebrates its 11th anniversary, and the 2014 event opens up even greater opportunities for delegates as it moves to Guangzhou — the most important manufacturing city in southern China and situated at the heart of the Pearl River Delta.

Open to all independent freight forwarders from around the globe, as well as an impressive range of logistics vendors and industry-related companies, the Sino-International Conference is the largest and most influential fully-open networking event in the world.

Co-organised by China International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFA) and WCA, the conference is scheduled to attract over 1,000 freight forwarders, all dedicated to creating new mutually beneficial partnerships and securing millions of dollars of new business.

Located at the luxurious 5-star Shangri-La Hotel, strategically located at the center of Guangzhou's new business and convention district, delegates can take advantage of the wide range of hotel options to suit all budgets and enjoy the many restaurants and bars overlooking the famous Pearl River.

The Sino Conference has time and again proved to be the most cost-efficient and beneficial event in the logistics industry. Face-to-face meetings are most productive way for independent forwarders to expand into new markets form vital new partnerships .

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logitrans 2014 - new running time (November 19–21, 2014)

For the first time ever, the largest exhibition for transport and logistics in Turkey will open its gates from Wednesday through Friday this year. Gerhard Gerritzen, Deputy Managing Director of Messe München, explains the event's new timing: "At the request of several exhibitors and visitors, the show now begins on Wednesday instead of Thursday, and so it ends before the weekend. The move will also emphasize the event's character as a trade show more clearly." The 8th logitrans—the International Transport Logistics Exhibition—takes place at the Expo Center ifm in Istanbul from November 19–21, 2014.

The first day of the exhibition, Wednesday, also has new opening hours from 14:00 to 20:00. As in the past, the exhibition will be open from 10:00 to 18:00 on Thursday and Friday. It will present a wide range of products and services along the entire value chain for logistics, telematics and transport.

Other new developments include countries pavilions from Luxemburg, which is being organized by the Ministry of Economic Affairs there, and from the Czech Republic, which is being organized by Czech Trade. There will also be joint exhibits from Germany and Austria, both of which have exhibited here in previous years.

Source : http://www.logitrans.com.tr/english/

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Freight upswing for Hong Kong Airport

Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) continued to see upswings in freight in August. Cargo throughput grew by 8.8 percent to 366,000 tonnes. Flight movements had a 4 percent increase to 33,700, achieving a new monthly high for the second month in a row. 

The growth in cargo throughput was driven mainly by transshipments, which were up 22 percent from a year ago. During the month, cargo throughput to/from Southeast Asia and Mainland China improved most significantly compared to other key regions. 

“It is encouraging to see that HKIA has once again achieved new traffic records this month. We anticipate air traffic at HKIA to continue its growth trend during the remainder of the year in view of the upcoming travel peaks of the National Day golden week and Christmas,” C K Ng, acting CEO of Airport Authority Hong Kong, said. 

Over the first eight months of this year, HKIA handled 2.8 million tonnes of cargo and 258,105 flight movements, registering respective growth of 6.9 percent and 5.2 percent compared to the same period last year. On a 12-month rolling basis, cargo volume increased by 5.7 percent to 4.3 million tonnes. 

Flight movements recorded 5.6 percent year-over-year growth to 384,935. - 

Source: http://www.aircargoworld.com/Air-Cargo-World-News/2014/09/freight-upswing-hong-kong-airport/6766#sthash.qojEp06Q.dpuf

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FRENCH GIANT'S ANTIDOTE TO 2M ALLIANCE

French container-shipping giant CMA CGM has formed an alliance with China Shipping Container Lines and Middle East's United Arab Shipping Co to share vessels on some of the world's busiest trade routes.

The new alliance, called Ocean Three, is expected to deploy about 150 ships that would move roughly 20 percent of all cargo between Asia and Europe and 13 percent and seven percent across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, respectively, people involved in the deal said, reported The Wall Street Journal.

The move comes after larger rivals Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) sealed a 10-year tie-up in July that is expected to save them billions of dollars in operating costs.

CMA CGM said the Ocean Three vessels would call "in all the biggest Asian, European and North American ports, using transhipment hubs common to the three partners."

CSCL said in a separate written statement that the agreement would be valid for two years after the start of operations and would be automatically extended if the parties involved have no objections.

Maersk Line, a unit of Danish conglomerate A P  Moller-Maersk, and Switzerland-based MSC are the world's two biggest container-shipping companies in terms of capacity. They announced their so-called 2M alliance in July.

Chinese regulators earlier rejected a wider tie-up called the P3 alliance, which would have also included CMA CGM, over concerns that the combined strength of its proposed members would threaten Chinese container carriers.

"Ocean Three is an antidote to 2M," said Jonathan Roach, a container analyst with London-based Braemar ACM Shipbroking. "It's in line with staying competitive with the 2M and it's a good deal, because they have invested in some of the biggest ships in the business and also brought a Chinese company into the fold."

Container shipping, which carries about 95 percent of the world's manufactured goods, has suffered for the past decade from overcapacity that has led to falling freight rates, which major operators have described as unsustainable. A plethora of smaller shipping companies regularly undercut freight rates from Asia to Europe and across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, hoping to stay in business until the industry recovers.

The 2M alliance would control a 35 percent market share in the Asia-to-Europe trade loop and 15 percent and 37 percent of the cargo moved across the transpacific and transatlantic routes, respectively. The 2M fleet would include Maersk's 20 Triple E vessels, the biggest and most efficient ships in the business, able to carry in excess of 18,000 containers each.

People familiar with the matter said MSC will also likely charter on long-term leases five Triple Es from Scorpio Group, based in New York and Monaco, and China's Bank of Communications Co.

UASC and CSCL have a combined 11 Triple Es on order. These vessels steam more slowly than most other ships to save fuel, slashing operational costs by 20 percent on each container shipped, compared with the average cost of existing vessels with less fuel-efficient engines.

Both alliances need clearance from US regulators. William Doyle, a commissioner for the US Federal Maritime Commission, said in an interview last week that he would consult with his Chinese counterparts at a meeting in November before the commission reaches a decision on the 2M alliance. The Ocean Three partners haven't yet filed with the commission.

The alliances are expected to gradually push smaller competitors out of the benchmark Asia-to-Europe route because their smaller and less fuel-efficient vessels won't be able to compete. This is expected to bring some stability in freight rates as supply, which is currently 15 percent above demand, will be more tightly regulated.

A P Moller-Maersk chief executive Nils Andersen said in a recent interview that overcapacity would take at least four years to be absorbed.

Source: http://www.cargonewsasia.com/en/news/detail?id=34226

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Air Freight Volumes Show Solid Gains

 
Air freight volumes continue to show solid gains on a year ago, supported by economic improvements in some regions, says IATA in its latest quarterly cargo chartbook.
But high jet fuel prices and overall weakness in yields have kept cargo financial performance from improving so far this year, adds IATA.
“Emerging Asia trade volumes have rebounded after weakness in Q1 and consumers in the US are more optimistic. These developments have supported growth in demand for airfreighted commodities like semi-conductors,” says the report.
It continues: “However, in Europe consumer confidence and trade activity have weakened due to the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Business confidence continues to point to expansion, but rates of improvements are still weaker than 2013 year-end.”
And although jet fuel prices have eased slightly, they remain high at about $120/bb, the chartbook, adds: “On the positive side, although yields remain weak, overall they appear to be stabilizing and are up slightly on a year ago.
“This could help reduce downward pressure on cargo financial performance in months ahead. Consistent with more supportive demand conditions in some regions, cargo heads surveyed in July expect growth in traffic and yields to pick-up during the year ahead.”

Source : http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/air-freight-volumes-show-solid-gains.html

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SriLankan Cargo moving towards the future with the adoption of e-air waybill system

Ushering a new era in Sri Lanka's airfreight industry, the national carrier's cargo arm, SriLankan Cargo signed e-AWB (air waybills) agreements with four of its top customers, September 10.
At a time when the industry is increasingly adopting sustainable and cost-effective practices to enhance operational efficiency, International Air Transport Association (IATA) views this as the first step towards a paper-free air cargo, involving fewer stakeholders.
The air waybill is the most important transportation document in the cargo operations, which contains the details of the shipper, consignee, airport of origin/destination, number of pieces, weight and the nature of goods.
Currently, the cargo industry relies heavily on paper documentation, which results in increasing freight costs and lengthening processing and transportation time. A freight shipment requires over 30 different paper documents and the paper air way-billing system requires that each shipment carries one such document whereas under the E-AWB system, an electronic contract between SriLankan Cargo and the freight forwarding customer replaces paper documentation.
The new system allows the airlines and freight forwarders to sign a single standard agreement once with IATA to enter into e-AWB agreements with all parties, without having to sign numerous bilateral agreements.
Initiated by the IATA, as a progressive solution, E-AWB avoids repeating data keying and reduces cargo delays due to missing or illegible paper AWBs. It also allows one to detect errors prior to the submission of physical freight, access Real Time AWB information and track status of the shipments.
Absence of paper usage eliminates the cost of purchasing and printing of paper, space for storage and archiving and noticeably reduces the waiting time for processing papers. In terms of data safety, E-AWB has been proven the more reliable option as the automated system facilitates error detection and cuts down the risk of losing documents.


Source :  www.colombopage.com/archive_14B/Sep13_1410594198CH.php

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Lufthansa Cargo strengthens its presence in West Africa

LUFTHANSA CARGO is integrating Lagos, Nigeria, into its network by launching twice-weekly MD-11 freighter flights from September, writes Thelma Etim, deputy editor.

The new services, which will take off from Frankfurt for the Nigerian city every Monday and Thursday, will also fly on to Johannesburg, South Africa.

The return leg will include a stopover in Nairobi, Kenya. “Another two weekly flights from Frankfurt to Johannesburg will also stop in Nairobi on the southbound leg,” says a company statement.

A total of 170 tonnes of capacity will be available to Africa customers. Lagos is an important destination for the oil and gas industry in particular. Urgently required spare parts and equipment for oil production facilities can now be transported even faster to Nigeria, and with greater flexibility, it adds.

“Adding Lagos to our freighter network considerably strengthens our involvement in West Africa”, emphasises Carsten Wirths, vice-president Europe and Africa at Lufthansa Cargo.

In Nigeria, the carrier also offers additional cargo capacity on board its A330 passenger flights to Port Harcourt and Abuja.

Lufthansa Cargo’s African network also serves Accra (Ghana), Malabo (Equatorial Guinea) and Luanda (Angola).

Source: http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/lufthansa-cargo-strengthens-its-presence-in-west-africa.html

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Russian Cargo Ship Makes Fast Delivery to Space Station

A robotic Russian spacecraft filled with supplies for the six crew members on the International Space Station made an express delivery to the orbiting outpost on Wednesday.

The Progress 56 craft was launched atop a Russian-built Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 5:44 p.m. ET (3:44 a.m. local time Thursday). It hooked up with the space station's Pirs docking compartment just after 11:30 p.m. ET.

The Progress was loaded with about 5,700 pounds (2,587 kilograms) of food, water, propellant and other supplies for the station's Expedition 40 crew.

Historically, Progress ships have taken about two days to arrive at the station. Since 2012, however, the Russian crafts have been flying to the science laboratory in six hours or less. Astronauts and cosmonauts have also started taking these quick, four-orbit flights aboard the Soyuz capsules that deliver new crew members to the station.

A different Progress craft, dubbed Progress 55, left the space station on Monday to make room for the new cargo ship. Progress 55 is now flying a safe distance away from the orbiting outpost. It will perform a series of engineering tests before it intentionally burns up over the Pacific Ocean on July 31, according to NASA.

The space station currently plays host to a crew of six. NASA astronauts Steve Swanson and Reid Wiseman, European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst and Russian cosmonauts Max Suraev, Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev make up the Expedition 40 crew.

— Miriam Kramer, Space.com

Source : http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/russian-cargo-ship-makes-quick-delivery-space-station-n163516

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Aerofloat Cargo Revenue Slumps

25.07.2014 | 

THE decision by Russian airline Aeroflot to scrap its dedicated freighters business last year is the reason for a 36 per cent year-on-year slump in its cargo business in 2014. “Switching to belly cargo operations in 2013 is the main reason that cargo and mail carried decreased 36.0 per cent year-on-year to June 2014,” says a statement.
In the first six months of this year the company expanded its fleet, including 13 new A320s, two new B737-800s and six new B777-300ERs.
“The new, factory-direct aircraft contributed to the ongoing modernisation of the fleet, which is now one of the youngest in Europe,” says a statement.

Source : http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/aeroflots-cargo-business-slumps.html

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